Sticks and Stones
by JPsmiles
Summary: A vicious and unexpected attack leaves the team in turmoil.
1. Chapter 1

He woke to a nightmare.

Hands were wrapped around his neck and began to squeeze. His eyes popped open and he tried to scream for help but no sound would come out.

Kicking and clawing desperately at his neck, he tried to escape, but the hold on him was too great.

His vision began to grey around the edges and he lost control of his limbs as they became limp.

The hold was on his neck was released just as he was on the verge of blacking out completely. A gag was quickly tied in place and he was roughly pulled to his feet.

His right arm was grabbed and pulled behind his back. Starting to get his wits back he tried to pull away, but his attacker was stronger and yanked harder.

There was an audible crack; the unmistakable sound of bone breaking. His eyes bulged and he let out a muffled cry of pain.

In a matter of seconds his arms were tied behind his back. A swift blow to his midsection sent him reeling back down onto the chair and rendered him helpless. He was secured to the chair by a strip of bed sheet that was wrapped tightly around his torso and another around his legs.

In pain and incapacitated, he watched in terror as the gleaming blade of a switchblade was brought closer and closer until the cold steel made contact with his exposed throat.

Templeton Peck looked into the ice-cold blue eyes of the man above him…eyes that happened to belong to his colonel: John "Hannibal" Smith".

TBC…

_Note: I planned on taking a writing break, but this idea popped into my head this morning and won't leave me alone…so here we go again!_


	2. Chapter 2

Hannibal grabbed the top of Face's hair and pulled his head back. Face flinched as he pressed the tip of the blade in just enough to draw blood.

"Are you scared, Lieutenant?" Hannibal's tone of voice was menacing and his eyes reflected pure hatred. "Well you should be."

Scared didn't even begin to cover how Face was feeling. He was terrified, hurt and confused….all familiar feelings…but never caused by the man he looked up to as a father.

Hannibal removed the blade and seemed to watch in fascination as blood tricked down his neck. Tossing his victim's head aside roughly he began to cut off the buttons of Face's shirt.

"Do you know what you are, Lieutenant? You are a no good, cheating, lying piece of garbage. You walk around like you are better than everybody else, but I know the truth."

Face's now exposed chest was heaving; his heart pounding so loudly he swore he could hear it.

Hannibal put the knife to Face's sternum and continued his tirade while ever so slowly drawing the blade downward.

"The truth is that you're nothing. Your entire life is a sham…an illusion to conceal the real you. Your own parents didn't want you and threw you away like the trash that you are. I only tolerate you because you can get me things. I say jump and you ask how high…but not before whining until you make my ears bleed. It's pathetic…and so are you."

Tears began to form in Face's eyes, partly from the pain of being cut, but more from the hurtful words being spat at him.

"Aw…poor little Peck is gonna cry," Hannibal mocked. He admired the somewhat shallow, yet long wound a moment before tossing the knife aside. "I'll give you something to really cry about."

Blow after blow assaulted his defenseless body and Face had no choice but to sit there and take it. Between the gag and the constant hits, he found it impossible to catch his breath.

Finally, Hannibal cocked his arm back and paused for a moment. "Say goodnight, Peck," he sneered before letting his fist fly and landing a vicious blow to Face's temple that rendered the younger man instantly unconscious.

Hannibal simply turned his back on his lieutenant and walked back over to his bed. He lay down, shut his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

TBC…sorry the chapters are short, it's that real life thing getting in the way! :)


	3. Chapter 3

Face came back to awareness slowly and blissfully unaware of what had happened at first. But as the fog lifted and his eyes fluttered open, he found himself tied up and gagged and it all came flooding back to him.

His eyes darted to the bed and the sleeping man in it. 'Hannibal…Hannibal did this to me.' His stomach twisted into knots and he broke out into a cold sweat.

His head was throbbing and he could only take shallow breaths in through his nose…probably a good thing given how much his ribcage ached from the beating. The knife wound had all but stopped bleeding but the surrounding skin looked pink and inflamed. The only thing that didn't hurt was his injured arm which was numb due to the restricted blood flow.

The clock on the wall read five o'clock; it would probably be another couple of hours yet before Murdock or B.A. came to relieve him. 'Dear, God, please let them hurry,' he prayed.

Face thought back to the conclusion of their latest job the night before. After successfully collecting up the bad guys and securing them inside of a warehouse they noticed Hannibal was nowhere to be found. B.A. used his powers of persuasion to convince one of the thugs to talk and they were led down to the basement. Hannibal was out cold on the floor, but seemed to be unharmed save for a small bruise on his upper arm, in the center of which was a tiny needle mark. Since his vitals were all normal, they decided to bring him back to Face's beach front rental to allow him to sleep off the effects of whatever drug was in his system.

_"If he doesn't come to sometime tomorrow morning then we have to take him to a doctor,"_ Face had insisted before volunteering for the first watch.

'Oh, he came to, all right,' Face thought feeling sick. 'He came to, took me hostage, and beat the living daylights out of me.'

But the worst of it had been the words he had said and the brutal delivery. That hurt more than any fist or broken bone ever could.

Time ticked by at an impossibly slow rate. He turned his head toward the window to watch as the sun began to rise, but when he turned back two blue eyes were staring back at him.

"Face?" Hannibal questioned, his eyes growing wide as he processed the site before him. "My God…what the hell happened?"

Tears once more filled Face's eyes…Hannibal was back.

But how on earth was he going to be able to tell him that he…Hannibal Smith…was what happened?

In his haste to get out of bed and to help Face, Hannibal bumped into the floor lamp and sent it crashing to the ground.

Face startled painfully and his pulse began to race as Hannibal stepped closer. He was used to Hannibal rescuing him from situations like this…not causing them. He could still feel the colonel's hands squeezing his throat and his hot breath as he verbally ripped into him.

Hannibal saw pure fear in Face's eyes and stopped before he got too close. "Face…kid…I'm not gonna hurt you."

'Too late,' Face thought. 'You already have.'

Murdock and B.A. came bumbling into the room, nearly tripping one another in their hurry to get inside.

"Heard a crash, man. What hap...,' B.A. started but the words died in his throat.

Murdock, on the other hand, had no words as he froze beside the muscle bound sergeant.

Face might have found the rare sight of his teammates stunned into silence funny if the causing factors weren't so awful.

The shock wore off and the room sprang into action. Murdock made a beeline for Face while B.A. made a move toward Hannibal.

"Maybe you should sit down, colonel." He grabbed the still shell-shocked man by the arm and started pulling him over toward the bed.

"No…not until I find out what in the hell is going on here," Hannibal resisted.

Murdock removed the gag around Face's mouth first before asking, "You okay, Faceman?" It was a stupid question given the site before him, but it was a question that had to be asked nonetheless.

"Yeah," Face rasped. "M'fine," he lied through gritted teeth as the pilot began to undo the rest of his bonds. He turned his attention to Hannibal who was still being held back by B.A. "It's not your fault, colonel…you were drugged…not your fault."

Face wondered if he wasn't saying that as much for his own benefit as for Hannibal's. In his mind he knew it was true, but it was his body and spirit that had some catching up to do.

Hannibal blanched; the thought hadn't even crossed his mind. "You mean…I…no…never…no way," he stuttered. But then he looked down at his hands and saw the blood on them. "Dear God," he gasped.

"It's okay…I'm fine…really." But the strain in Face's voice told a different story.

"C'mon…sit down. Them drugs can still be in your system." B.A. was finally successful in leading Hannibal over to the bed.

"Drugs?" he asked in confusion. "But I feel perfectly fine now." Or as fine as he could feel watching his bloody and battered man and knowing that his own hands did it.

"Trust me, man, you wasn't fine," B.A. countered.

Hannibal hung his head. "I guess Face is proof of that."

Murdock knelt down in front of Face trying to take inventory of the injuries. There was the bruised neck and abdomen and the gash that ran the length of his breastbone. He was holding his arms, especially the right one, awkwardly by his side, but that was probably due to being tied up for so long. Beyond that he didn't know.

As if reading Murdock's mind Face said, "It's not so bad…I've had worse."

Murdock raised his eyebrows; that wasn't saying much given their time in Nam and their line of work in the four years since.

"I just need some air." The room suddenly felt awfully hot and as if the walls were closing in. He struggled to a standing position and teetered for a moment.

Murdock put a hand on the small of Face's back for support. "Okay?"

'No,' Face thought. "Yeah…I'm good." In a softer voice he added, "just take care of the colonel."

Murdock nodded. 'But who's gonna take care of you?'

He tried to hide how much his legs were shaking as he walked across the room and past Hannibal.

"Face?" Hannibal called out, wanting to say something…anything…but not having a clue what.

The lieutenant halted a moment and turned toward the bed. "I'm okay," he answered robotically and then slowly continued on out the door.

"He's not okay," Hannibal sighed. "And it's all my fault."

"No he's not," B.A. grunted. "And no it ain't."

Murdock walked over to the pair. "I better go after him."

B.A. shook his head. "Nah…stay here with the colonel, fool…I'll go."

Murdock didn't argue; B.A. had experience working with kids that had been beaten by their fathers. And right now Face looked very much like a scared kid and Hannibal was the closest thing he had to a father.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

Hannibal stood washing his hands in the bathroom sink and watching as the water turned pink from the blood...Face's blood. It made him sick to think about how he woke up to find Face and to know that he was the one to do it. He wracked his brain trying to remember, but after entering the warehouse it was all a blur.

He looked at himself in the mirror. "How are you ever going to be able to look the kid in the eye again?"

Murdock appeared in the refection behind him and said gently, "talking to yourself, colonel? I thought I was the only one who did that."

"What have I done, Murdock?"

Murdock wasn't used to seeing his leader looking so lost. "_You_ didn't do anything...the drugs did."

"Tell that to Face."

"I don't have to tell him...he knows. He even told you that himself."

Hannibal leaned heavily on the sink and let out a weary sigh. "But did you see his eyes when he said it? The kid's scared of me...not that I can say I blame him."

"Face is tough, colonel. He'll be alright." Murdock hoped he sounded more confident than he was feeling.

"Yeah, but will _we_?" The question lingered in the air as Hannibal turned and walked past his captain and out the door.

* * *

B.A. grabbed a blanket before following Face out the sliding glass door that led directly onto the beach. He kept his distance at first; he wanted to allow his friend a few moments alone to clear his head…if such a thing was even possible. But when he saw him start to stagger, he picked up the pace. And when Face fell to his knees, he began to run.

Face knelt in the sand, head bowed and breathing hard despite the strain on his ribs. All the feeling had returned to his arms and his right one was throbbing mercilessly. The morning air was cool and he began to shiver. As if on cue, he felt a blanket being draped over his shoulders.

B.A. didn't say anything after wrapping his friend in the blanket. He just took a seat by his side and waited. With Face, pressing too hard could cause a complete shut-down. B.A. decided to let Face steer the conversation, but was surprised by the direction he took a few minutes later.

"I should be used to it by now."

"To what?" B.A. questioned cautiously.

Face looked up and out at the ocean and answered in a shaky voice, "I should be used to...you know...being hurt."

When Face stopped and it didn't appear he was going to elaborate B.A. said, "I don't know, man…but I don't think anybody should ever get used to bein' treated like that."

Face shrugged and then suppressed a moan at the pain it caused. "It happens often enough and you become numb to it. Or at least I thought I was."

"You was hurt as a kid, wasn't you?" They had all suspected their young lieutenant had a rough childhood…more from what he didn't say than the little that he did.

Face nodded.

B.A. knew he was skating on thin ice…ice that could easily crack if too much pressure was put upon it. But he also knew that Face's defenses were down and that was when he would open up most.

"I'm sorry…no kid should go through that."

"S'okay."

"No it ain't."

Face shrugged again, this time the moan escaped.

B.A. furrowed his brow in concern but decided to tackle one issue at a time. "It ain't ever right for an adult to put a hand on a kid."

"I probably deserved it." Face pulled the blanket around him tighter. Hannibal's words the night before popped into his head. _'Your own parents didn't want you and threw you away like the trash that you are.'_

B.A. could feel his anger rising; not at Face, but at all the people who had violated his friend over the years. "None of that was your fault...just like last night wasn't your fault either."

"But each situation had a common denominator, and that was me...all those people couldn't be wrong." Face's tone was weak and deflated.

"Faceman, Hannibal didn't know what he was doin'."

Face nodded but kept his thoughts to himself. 'But he knew who he was and was quite aware of who I am and how much he hates me.'

"The colonel would never hurt you on purpose." B.A. paused trying to gather his thoughts. "But I also know that you got every right to your feelings."

Face was so emotionally spent that his filter was gone and the words just flew out of his mouth. "But that's just it B.A. I don't know what to feel. It never hurt so bad…and I'm not talking about on the outside. When I was a kid…and even in Nam…I could put the beatings behind me because I could hate the person responsible. But…this time…this time…"

"This time it was Hannibal," B.A. finished for him.

Face was shaking so badly now it was obviously not caused by the cool temperature alone. His vision started to wave as much as the ocean before him. "B.A.?" he mumbled. "I…um…I'm not feeling so good."

"C'mon...let's get you back inside." B.A. stood and took hold of Face's arm and started to pull him up.

"Argh!" Face let out a cry of pain and collapsed back down to the ground in a heap.

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5

"What...what is it, man?" B.A. asked dropping down beside Face on the sand.

Face was panting and his eyes were shut tight as he cradled his arm by his side. When the searing pain had died down enough that he could answer he gasped out, "my arm."

"How bad?"

"I think it's broken." Face felt like he was going to throw up or pass out, or quite possibly both.

"Damn." A broken arm meant they needed a doctor. "Anything else?"

"Ribs...hurt." Face took a few shallow breaths before adding, "Dizzy...don't think I can make it back to house."

"That's okay, man. We ain't goin' into the house...we goin' to the hospital." When Face didn't protest, B.A. eased his teammate down onto his back and pulled the blanket up over his still bloody torso. "I'm gonna go pull the van up onto the beach...don't move."

"Don't worry," the injured lieutenant slurred.

B.A. jogged back toward the house and was met at the sliding door by Hannibal and Murdock who had been watching anxiously.

"I'm takin' the Faceman to the hospital. He got a busted arm and maybe some ribs."

Hannibal paled and had to hold onto the wall for support.

"You okay, colonel?" Murdock asked. "Maybe we oughtta get you checked out while we're at it."

Hannibal didn't respond; he just leaned heavily against the wall and kept his eyes trained on his horizontal lieutenant in the distance. B.A. and Murdock shared a nervous glance before stepping off to the side.

"Help me get Face into the van, fool. Then you can drive the colonel in the 'Vette."

Murdock nodded. "Yeah...I think it's best if we keep them apart for a while."

"Agreed...and if we agreein' then maybe I was drugged too."

Shaking his head, the pilot quipped, "Nah…only when we need you to fly."

The pair left a still distant Hannibal; B.A. heading toward the van while Murdock stepped onto the beach and trudged across the sand.

Face had his eyes closed but judging from his clenched jaw and pained expression was obviously awake.

Murdock approached carefully not wanting to startle him. "Face?" Two pain filled blue orbs opened and blinked up at him. "How you holding up, buddy?"

"Feel kinda strange."

"Welcome to my world, muchacho," Murdock smiled.

Face chuckled, and then groaned from the strain on his ribs. "Ow…don't make me laugh," he whispered.

Murdock sat down, happy that he could at least make Face smile. "Sorry. You hurting much?"

Face ignored the question; Murdock wouldn't really want to hear the answer. Instead he deflected with one of his own. "Is Hannibal okay?"

"A lot better than you are right now."

"Not what I asked," The little strength he had left was waning and Face once again closed his eyes.

"He's okay...just worried about you." Murdock put a hand up to Face's forehead and frowned at the heat radiating off it, even though the man was still shivering. "We are too," he added softly.

* * *

Hannibal watched as B.A. drove the van onto the beach, got out, and joined his teammates down on the sand. He reached out and put his hand onto the glass wishing he could be out there and do something to help fix what he had done.

'There's only one thing I can do,' he thought and walked away from the door.

* * *

Getting Face off the ground and into the van proved a difficult task.

He was too weak to move on his own and with his injuries it was hard to lift him in a way that wouldn't cause pain. Once they managed to get him standing, he put his good arm over B.A.'s shoulder and leaned heavily against the solid body. They inched forward at a snail's pace until they finally reached the makeshift bed that Murdock had been busy preparing in the back.

Getting back down proved almost as difficult as getting up had been.

Face let out a groan as his arm was jostled and his abdomen had to bend once more causing strain on his ribs. "Sorry," he said breathlessly.

"Don't you go apologizin', man."

"Yeah, buddy...you don't have to be strong for us...you have nothing to prove."

But once again Face heard Hannibal voice in his head telling him he was, 'whining until you make my ears bleed. It's pathetic…and so are you.'

Once he was settled they drove back to the house. Murdock hopped out of the vehicle and walked over to the driver's side. "I'll go get the keys to the 'Vette and Hannibal. Wait for us and we'll follow behind you."

B.A. kept one eye on the closed garage door and one eye on the rearview mirror so he could see Face. A couple of minutes later the garage door opened to reveal no Corvette and a panicked Murdock.

"The colonel's gone."

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

_I interrupt my regularly scheduled story update to reply to an anonymous review:_

**_"Man...you must really hate Face...all the ** you put him through in your stories... I feel like I've read this before. Your storylines are all very similar...aren't they?"_**

_No…I love Face! And, no, you haven't read this one before. I've never had a drugged Hannibal attack Face…or have I? Ha, ha…written so many I can't keep track. Yes, my stories are usually centered around Face angst. It's what I enjoy to write, and since this is a hobby and purely for fun, it's what I will continue to write. I apologize if they all start to sound the same, but c'est la vie! Thanks as always for reading and responding…makes it more fun!_

_We now return to my regularly scheduled update…hope you enjoy!_

* * *

"I'm gonna kill him," B.A. growled.

"But first we have to find him," Murdock pointed out.

"Nah…first we need to take care of the Faceman. Get in, fool."

Face lie on the floor of the van in a haze of pain and confusion. "What's going on?" he asked as the van began to roll.

B.A. looked to Murdock as if to say 'you field this one' and the pilot reluctantly complied…or at least tried to.

"Well…you see…Face…Hannibal…he…well…um…"

B.A. rolled his eyes; he wasn't about to start lying to his friend now. "He gone."

Murdock nodded and pointed to his left. "Yeah…what he said."

"Gone." It was more of a statement than a question. "We have to find him." Face tried to sit up, but lifting his head made the world spin and he fell back and passed out.

"Step on it, big guy. He isn't looking so good."

They rode the rest of the way to the hospital in silence. It wasn't until they pulled into the parking lot that B.A. asked, " How we gonna explain what happened to the Faceman without raising eyebrows?"

"I have a better question. How're we going to explain you?" Murdock teased.

"Shut-up, crazy man…ain't got no time for your jibber-jabber."

"Okay…how about a bar fight gone wrong? That could explain why he has handprints around his neck and we can say the guy had a knife."

B.A. smiled. "Yeah…that could work, man."

Murdock grinned widely. "There you go agreeing with me again."

"Don't remind me…and don't get used to it. Let's go."

* * *

Hannibal couldn't get a handle on his emotions as he paced the length of the seedy motel room for the umpteenth time.

He felt angry. Angry at the scumbags that shot him up with a drug.

He felt horrified. Horrified that even though he was under the influence he could do such a vile thing.

He felt sad. Sad that the walls that had taken so long to break down would soon start to build around his young lieutenant again.

He felt scared. Scared that things would never be the same between he and the team again.

He felt guilty. Guilty of running away from the situation and leaving his men behind to care for Face.

Hannibal gave up his pacing and sat down on the tacky floral comforter. What he felt most, and for the first time ever, was truly and utterly alone.

Alone…a leader with nobody to lead.

* * *

The doctor approached Murdock and B.A. who were in the waiting room trying to blend in with the rest of the anxious families. Luckily it was a busy day and nobody seemed to pay them much attention.

"Family of Billy Bosco?"

B.A. shot daggers in Murdock's direction. "You named the Faceman after your fake dog and me?" he asked under his breath.

"I said the first thing that popped into my mind."

"In that case we lucky you said anything at all."

"Billy Bosco." Murdock raised his hand at the doctor as B.A. grumbled again at the name. "Right here."

"You're his family?" The physician looked leery.

"I'm his brother," Murdock explained.

"And I'm just a good friend," B.A. added.

"I see." The doctor was too busy to give it much more thought. "Mr. Bosco has a broken humerus, or upper arm bone. His ribs are not broken, but severely bruised. He is running a fever which is most likely the combined result of dehydration and the knife wound which is showing signs of infection. We've cleaned the wound and currently have him on an IV to replace some fluids. Once the bag has finished infusing we will have an orthopedist set the bone."

"Can we see him?" Murdock asked anxiously.

"Sure…he woke up few minutes ago." The doctor gave them the room number and started walking away before turning back. "Oh, and Mr. Bosco refused any pain medication…maybe you can get him to change his mind?"

Both men nodded and smiled until he was out of view, but doubted it would be easy.

"We got a better chance of you actin' normal."

"Or of you acting nice."

Face was alone in a room wearing one of those awful hospital gowns that made sure one always walked out of a room backwards.

As the clear liquid dripped from the bag, down into a tube, and through his veins, he began to feel stronger and a lot less spacey. He also, however, became more aware of the pain…physical and mental.

'My fault. First I make Hannibal hate me so much that he attacks me. And now I've driven him away. It's not fair to Murdock and B.A. It's my fault that I'm no good…I should be the one to go.'

He refused the offer of pain medication because he had to stay sharp. He had to stay sharp if there was any way he was going to get himself out of this bed and out of the hospital before anybody noticed he was missing.

TBC…


	7. Chapter 7

_Note: Thanks for all the kind words guys…really nice to hear! For the review I mentioned last time…please don't think I was offended. I hope it didn't come across that way! I just couldn't send a PM and I wanted to explain. Plus, I like to know what people think...good and bad!_

* * *

Face pulled the IV from his arm ignoring the blood that began to trickle down his arm and onto the sheets as he tried to push himself up. His eyes watered from the intensity of the pain in both his ribs and arm, but he gritted his teeth and refused to give in.

'Get up, Peck,' he ordered himself. 'This is no time to be lying around.'

Finally he was able to swing his legs off the side of the bed where he sat for a moment sweating and shaking. He briefly contemplated ditching the hospital gown and trying to get dressed. But with one useless arm it would be near impossible and he couldn't waste the time.

Face stood on two wobbly legs and swallowed back the bile that rose to his throat from being vertical. He shuffled over to the door and peeked outside to see a crowded corridor of medical professionals.

Damn...you'll never make it past them.'

Closing the door he held onto the wall and made his way over to the window on the other side of the room and looked out.

'Thank you God for small favors.'

He sighed with relief when he saw that he was only on the second floor. But it would still require a one-armed hand-hold and drop down a considerable distance onto the ground below.

'Here goes nothing.'

Face opened the window and holding onto the sill with his good arm, eased his way out onto the narrow ledge. Holding on with all his might, he knelt down and slowly let his legs dangle beneath him. His left forearm muscles burned and the shoulder felt as it was going to rip out of its socket as he hung. His fingertips started to slip and before he was ready to let go he started to fall. His stomach leapt up into his throat as he plummeted downward and onto the grass below.

Landing on his feet, Face's knees immediately buckled from the jarring impact that sent waves of pain up his legs and seemingly everywhere else. He allowed himself a moment to get his bearings and to figure out where he was before attempting to stand. He appeared to be in the rear of the facility which was not only vacant, but also had a path leading directly to the parking deck.

'This is my lucky day.' He once more used his good arm to push himself up, but cried out and fell back down when he put pressure on his left ankle. 'Then again, maybe it's not.'

Attempting to stand once more, he balanced on his right foot for a moment and then tentatively stepped down with the other. It hurt, but he was able to stand it and was relieved that it most likely wasn't broken.

'I'm just lucky that I didn't break my neck. Although B.A. may take care of that for me when he finds out where I'm headed.'

* * *

Murdock came running out of Face's room and nearly collided with B.A. who had made a stop at the restroom first.

"Faceman's gone."

"What you talkin' about, man?"

"He's gone," Murdock repeated. "As in not in his room."

"You sure?"

"Yes I'm sure," the pilot answered impatiently.

"Well you always seein' things that ain't there…maybe this time you ain't seeing things that is there."

"Wanna run that by me again?"

"Just get outta my way, fool." The burly man pushed past Murdock and went inside the room to see for himself. What he found was a blood stained bed sheet and an open window. "He's gone."

"Didn't I say that…twice?"

B.A. ignored the question. "This is a sad day."

"Sad?" Of all descriptors, 'sad' didn't come to mind first.

"Yeah, man. It's a sad day when you ain't the craziest member of the team no more."

"Yeah…well at the rate we're losing members, pretty soon there won't be a team…there will be a soloist."

"Not if I can help it, man," B.A. stated and stalked out of the room.

Minutes later they were heading out the hospital doors and towards the parking deck.

"This is cool…you and me, big guy…just like Batman and Robin."

B.A. grunted before snapping, "I don't wear no tights, fool."

"Like necklaces and earrings are any better," Murdock retorted.

"Watch it, crazy man, or Batman will run you over with his Bat-Mobile."

Murdock shook his head. "Don't think so." He pointed to the empty spot where the van once sat.

TBC…


	8. Chapter 8

"My van! He stole my van!"

"First Hannibal steals the 'Vette…now Face steals the van." Murdock marveled. "Who would have thunk it."

"You don't think much of anything, fool."

"So, what are _we_ gonna steal, big guy?"

B.A. looked around until his eyes settled on a vehicle parked close to the entrance.

Murdock followed B.A,'s line of vision. "An ambulance?"

"Yeah…I know two men that gonna need one when I get through with them."

"Can I ring the siren…pretty please?"

"Make that three men that gonna need one."

* * *

Hannibal was asleep, tossing and turning restlessly on the bed. His mind was stuck in a dream; he was still in a bed…but somewhere else completely.

_Face was sitting in a chair by his bed. His eyes were closed and he was slumped down against the plush upholstery. Swinging his legs over the side of the mattress he stood and padded over to his lieutenant. He loomed over him a moment before raising his hands and wrapping them around the sleeping man's throat. _

_Face's eyes opened wide with fear and he began to struggle, but without success. Once he started to weaken, he was gagged and pulled to his feet. Hannibal pulled his arm behind his back…hard…so hard that it snapped. He threw a punch, and Face propelled backward and down onto the chair._

_Then he pulled a knife on his terrified man. Holding it to the exposed throat he began to speak. Hannibal can feel his lips moving, but can't hear a sound and has no idea what he is saying. But as he speaks, Face's eyes fill with tears and a pain so deep…_

…a pain so deep that it thrust him back to consciousness.

Hannibal bolted straight upright in bed, his heart hammering in his chest. Was it just a bad dream…or was that what had really happened?

"Oh, kid…tell me I didn't do that to you." Hannibal put his head into his hands. "Tell me it didn't go down like that."

But the evidence had been there; he saw the marks around Face's neck and the blood on his chest.

It was even more reason why he was justified in leaving as he had. After taking a quick and very cold shower, he jumped into the 'Vette. He had to swing by the beach house to grab his things and return Face's car before the others returned from the hospital.

After that, Hannibal…the man with the plans…had none.

* * *

Face drove toward the beach house; he couldn't go traipsing around in public wearing a hospital gown.

Driving the large vehicle with only one working arm would have been a difficult task enough if he were healthy, but that definitely wasn't the case.

Face knew he was in trouble; he felt incredibly sick and his body ached all over. His arm was swelling so badly that it had extended all the way down to his fingertips. The inside of the van felt sweltering even though he was running the air conditioning at it's highest power.

A lump formed in the lieutenant's bruised throat and his eyes grew moist. Once more he heard Hannibal's voice in his head: _'Aw…poor little Peck is gonna cry.'_

"No, I'm not," he whispered out loud and forced himself to push down the pain and his emotions.

But he couldn't push down the nausea which was steadily worsening. Finally he had no choice but to pull over to the side of the road. As fast as his battered body would allow him, he got out and limped behind some bushes where he was violently ill. With each excruciating heave he heard Hannibal and his stomach only churned more.

_'Do you know what you are, Lieutenant? You are a no good, cheating, lying piece of garbage.' _

_'The truth is that you're nothing. Your entire life is a sham…an illusion to conceal the real you.' _

_'Your own parents didn't want you and threw you away like the trash that you are.'_

_'I only tolerate you because you can get me things.' _

When the attack subsided, Face curled into a ball on the ground.

_'I'll give you something to cry about.'_

Hannibal had been right…Face began to sob.

TBC...


	9. Chapter 9

"B.A. stop!" Murdock exclaimed suddenly.

"Stop what? I ain't doin' nothin'."

"No…I mean, pull over. I have an idea."

"Oh brother. Now we in for it," B.A. mumbled but fulfilled the request.

"Do you see what I see?"

B.A. shook his head. "Man…given some of the things you see, I hope not."

"Over there." Murdock pointed at a sign advertising helicopter rides.

"This ain't no time for rides, fool!"

"Don't you get it, B.A. We're looking for the 'Vette and the van. And since neither Hannibal or Face will answer their car phones, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. At least from the air we can cover a much larger area."

"I ain't flyin'."

"That's fine…we can stay in touch by radio."

B.A. gave a single nod and grunt of approval before pulling back onto the road and in the direction of the airfield.

"It's times like these I wish Face were here…he's better at borrowing things."

"So now we callin' it borrowing?"

Murdock shrugged and then smiled wistfully. "Face once told me that he'll borrow and steal…but he'll never beg." The pilot paused a moment before adding, "I'd get on my knees right now and beg if that would make this all go away."

B.A. hadn't expected the forlorn tone from his teammate and felt an uncomfortable tug at his heart. "Hey…it's gonna be okay, man. The team's been through worse."

"Has it?"

"You kiddin' right? You forget about Nam…and the fact that we runnin' from the military?"

"No," Murdock shook his head. "But this is the first time one of us has ever turned on another."

"Hannibal didn't turn on Face...he was drugged."

"I know that, and you know that…hell…Hannibal and Face know that too. But sometimes knowing something and feeling something are two totally different things."

"It's just gonna take time…it'll be okay."

"Time doesn't always heal all wounds." Murdock looked down at his lap. "Trust your resident crazy man on that one."

Again B.A. felt the uncomfortable pull on his heart. "Time doesn't heal all wounds…but good friends do."

Tears shone in Murdock's eyes. "Thanks, big guy. I needed that."

* * *

Once the tears subsided Face was even more worn out than before. He looked out from behind the bushes at the van that seemed impossibly far away.

After managing to get onto his knees he remained there, head hung and eyes shut, willing the dizziness to go away. Finally the world seemed to settle enough for him to try to stand.

'Just get up and walk…life you've done for almost a quarter of a century.'

He stood and managed a couple of steps before his balance gave out and his bad ankle collapsed from underneath him sending him crashing back to the ground.

'Okay…just stay down and crawl…you've known how to do that longer.'

But with one broken arm it was slow going…too slow. His limbs felt like lead and his muscles burned with fatigue. He body was so hot that if not for the fact that he didn't see any flames he would have sworn he was on fire.

It was no use; he was never going to make it. And even if he did there was no way he would be able to climb up into the van let alone drive it.

Face managed to make it behind the cover of another bush before his body completely gave out on him. His vision went from color to gray…

He heard Hannibal's voice sneering, 'Say goodnight, Peck.'

…and eventually faded to black.

* * *

Hannibal was speeding down the road toward the beach house when out of the corner of his eye he noticed a black van parked by the side of the road. It went by so fast that at first he thought nothing of it; there were lots of black vans in the world.

But this van had a red stripe.

Still Hannibal kept driving. 'They're better off without you. They don't need a colonel who beats on his men.'

He couldn't get the nagging feeling out of his head that something was wrong and considered turning around. They might not need him, but he needed to know they were okay.

When he saw an 'all turns' sign it made up his mind for him.

TBC…


	10. Chapter 10

B.A. sat in the ambulance waiting and watching from outside the gate for the helicopter Murdock was 'borrowing' to get off the ground. It was almost comical to watch the lanky pilot serpentine his way around the choppers, ducking and weaving to avoid being spotted.

"The dude almost looks like Robin,' he chuckled to himself.

Vaulting into his helicopter of choice, Murdock threw B.A. a thumbs-up sign before starting up the bird.

Caught up in the moment, B.A. returned with a raised thumb of his own. He felt the heat rise to his cheeks.

"Damn…I hope the fool didn't see that."

If he did, the sergeant knew he would never live it down.

* * *

Once Hannibal was turned around and headed once more toward the van he wondered what he would say to Murdock and B.A. when he got there. Given what he knew about Face's injuries, he figured that Face was probably going to be in the hospital for at least the remainder of the day and probably wouldn't be released until the next morning at the earliest.

As he pulled up behind the black vehicle he was relieved that they weren't on a busy road. But to play it safe he decided not to stop, but to go around the van and park the car in a spot that would be covered by ample foliage. Two vehicles were sure to draw more attention than one.

Hannibal took a deep breath and reached for a cigar out of his pocket needing something to hold onto. He was surprised to note that his hand shook slightly; that wasn't supposed to happen when in front of his men.

He slowly walked toward the GMC, hoping for the best, but steeling himself for the worst. What he wasn't prepared for was the empty van that met him.

* * *

_"This is Howling Mad calling looking out for one with a Bad Attitude."_

B.A. rolled his eyes before picking up the receiver.

_"Do you read me Bad Attitude."_

"I'm here, crazy fool."

_"I'm going to heads toward the hospital and start from there."_

"Sounds like a plan. I'll retrace our steps and then move towards the beach house."

_"Thomas that."_

"Thomas?"

_"Yeah…Roger is a bit overused, don't ya think?"_

B.A. answered with an irritated grunt.

_"Oh, and big buy…I saw that raised thumb in my direction."_

"If you don't get off this radio and start lookin' I'm gonna be raisin' a different finger in your direction."

_"Howling Mad…over and out."_

* * *

Hannibal walked away from the van and towards the greenery behind it. His trouble radar was going into overdrive as was his heart rate.

His eyes darted back and forth scanning for any signs of his men, but it wasn't until he looked downward that he saw it: two bare feet sticking out from behind a bush.

His racing heart seemed to stop beating all together as he stepped around and saw the body that those feet belonged to.

"Face!" he gasped. His lieutenant's head was lolled to the side and he was deathly pale and eerily still.

Hannibal knelt down and reached his still trembling hand out to feel for a pulse…

…Face's eyes fluttered open and he saw Hannibal reaching out for his neck.

TBC…


	11. Chapter 11

Face saw Hannibal's hands coming towards his neck and his eyes bulged. It felt just like before, except this time he wasn't tied up. He might as well have been, however, because he was frozen with fear and too weak to attempt to get away. The only thing that seemed to be working was his voice and that only long enough to stutter out, "please...no...not...again."

Hannibal recoiled and pulled his hand back is if he had been burned. He sat down hard and closed his eyes. His dream came flooding back, but this time the volume wasn't on mute and he could hear all the words he was saying. When he finally reopened his eyes, they were almost as wide as Face's.

"Oh...kid…I...I...," his voice cracked and the rest of his words got stuck in his throat.

Face watched as Hannibal crumbled before him. It was like nothing he had ever seen before from the rock solid man. It shook him to the core almost as much as the attack itself had and it was enough to get him moving. He inched his way backward to get as far away from the colonel as he could still not sure what was happening. Pushing up onto his good arm he worked his way up until his back was resting against the trunk of a tree.

Hannibal put his head into his hands and squeezed trying to push the words out of his head. His heartbeat started to pound; he could feel it pulsating in his ears. His chest felt tight and he was finding it harder and harder to breathe.

Face could see Hannibal coming apart at the seams. "You remember...don't you?"

Hannibal nodded his head that was still wedged between his hands.

"Everything?"

"Everything," Hannibal whispered breathlessly before lifting his head back up. "So...so...sorry."

Face met Hannibal's eyes. "Me...me too."

Seconds later Hannibal grunted and clutched at his chest.

* * *

"You see anythin' up there, man?" B.A. asked into the radio.

Murdock responded by singing back, _"I can see for miles and miles…I can see for miles and miles…I can see…"_

I can see my fist goin' into your face if you don't cut it out."

_'C'mon, that's a classic song by The Who."_

"I don't got time for guessin' games…and I don't care who the song is by."

_"No…it's a song by The Who."_

"Huh?"

_"No…not The Huh...The Who."_

"What?"

_"You're getting closer."_

"Murdock!" B.A. growled.

_"I can see for miles and miles…but I don't see our guys."_

"Damn. Let's keep lookin'."

* * *

Hannibal was a sickly grey in color and had broken out into a drenching sweat. The after effects of the drugs combined with lack of proper sleep and food had caught up with him.

"Colonel...what's...what wrong?" Face asked anxiously.

Hannibal didn't answer; he didn't have enough air in his heaving chest to spare.

It looked to Face as if the colonel was having a heart attack, and he was surprised when the next emotion he felt was anger.

"Oh…no…you don't" he panted. "You don't…you don't get to hurt me…hurt me like you did…and then…and then…hurt me more…by dying…in front of me."

Hannibal fell over onto his side…gasping…and wondering why an elephant decided to sit on his chest.

"You breathe damnit…breathe!" Face yelled with as much force as he could muster.

Face was right…he was dying. He was dying and before having a chance to patch things up with his team.

"Breathe!" Face's anger was ebbing away to panic. "Please…breathe…c'mon…breathe."

Hannibal could hear Face telling him to breathe. 'The kid is asking me to do something…after what I've done, I owe him to do it.'

So Hannibal started to focus on getting the air in and out. Slowly the pain began to subside and the elephant stepped off of his chest.

"You okay?" Face eventually asked feeling dizzy with relief that it most likely had only been an anxiety attack.

Hannibal was now sitting back up and his coloring had returned to somewhat a normal shade. "Not until I know you can forgive me and I make things right between us."

"I forgive you…I know you were drugged. But…" Face stopped and shut his eyes wearily.

"But what?"

"But I don't know if things can ever be right." Face paused and opened his eyes back up to look at Hannibal. "Sticks and stones."

"What?"

"The saying is wrong. Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." Face sighed feeling the darkness creeping back once more. "The hurt…they hurt much more."

Face's body went limp.

TBC…


	12. Chapter 12

_"Come in, B.A...you read me?"_

"All too often today."

_"I've been thinking..."_

"Not sure that's possible...," B.A. muttered.

_"What are we gonna do when we find them?"_

"Before or after I kill them for leavin' me alone with you?"

_"No, really...what's the plan?"_

"The plan?" B.A. asked. "What...you think I'm Hannibal or somethin'?"

_"Hannibal doesn't wear as much jewelry."_

B.A. chose to ignore the comment. "What you think we gonna do, fool? We gonna take the Faceman back to the hospital to get his arm fixed. And I bet the colonel needs to be looked at too with the crazy way he been actin'."

_"Do you think it's safe to go back to the same hospital?"_

"Ain't nothin' safe about our lives, man. But that doc seemed pretty cool...and he didn't even question that dumb name you used."

_"You should be flattered..."_

"And you should be flattened. Bein' lumped in with your imaginary dog...no thanks."

_"Wait...I think I see something."_

"Not somethin' imaginary I hope."

_"Not unless I'm imagining your van parked on the side of the road below me."_

"Just tell me where you at, man."

Murdock rattled off the information and then looked for a place where he could set down and wait for pick-up.

* * *

Hannibal stood and started walking over to Face's still form. He was almost there when the world began to tilt and his legs no longer wanted to cooperate. Dropping to his knees, he crawled the rest of the way and took a seat leaning against the tree next to his lieutenant.

"Sticks and stones," he repeated Face's words, "can also be used to build things…and I'm going to build back your trust."

He rested a hand on Face's thigh for a moment and felt the awful heat radiating from the bare leg. Hannibal knew he needed to get Face medical attention as soon as possible, but right now he could barely focus.

"I'll just rest my eyes for a few minutes."

As soon as his lids went down, they weren't about to open any time soon. The last thing he remembered was hearing the whirring of a helicopter.

* * *

Ten minutes later Murdock jumped into the front passenger seat of the ambulance and the pair sped to their destination.

"There it is," Murdock pointed.

B.A. was fully prepared to lecture Face about stealing his ride until he slid the van door open to find it vacant.

"Now where that fool go to?"

"Not fool, B.A….fools…look over there."

The sergeant followed Murdock's extended arm which pointed toward the Corvette hidden among the greenery.

"Well those vehicles sure as heck didn't fly here on their own," Murdock added. "The guys must be around here somewhere."

As the two men started searching B.A. grumbled, "Is there ever gonna be a time when you don't bring flyin' into the discussion."

"Maybe," Murdock grinned mischievously. "Maybe when pigs fly."

B.A.'s surly retort never made it past his lips; he was distracted when he caught sight of his unconscious teammates in the distance. "Bingo!" he said.

"I thought you said you didn't have time for games, big guy?" Murdock teased while looking in the opposite direction.

"Shut up, crazy fool…they over there...and they ain't movin'."

TBC…


	13. Chapter 13

Murdock and B.A. were once more in the hospital waiting room, but this time the room was half as empty and their wait seemed twice as long.

"What's takin' so long, man?" B.A. asked while pacing back and forth.

"That's the tenth time you've asked me that in the last hour," Murdock sighed. "Would you sit down...you're like a walking wind chime."

"I just want to know what's takin' so long."

The pilot stood and took hold of B.A.'s jeweled hand and led him to a chair and poured him a glass of water.

"Normally I'd pound ya for touchin' me, fool," B.A. said. "But thanks. I don't know what's got me so crazy."

"Crazy? Welcome to my world, big guy."

"They was just so still man...kinda freaked me out, ya know?"

"Yeah...I know." It was Murdock's turn to start pacing. "When we first found them...I thought...for a minute I thought...they were...you know.'

"Me too." B.A. nodded grimly. "Your turn to sit, man...you makin' me dizzy."

"I still have ringing in my ears from hearing your gold jingle for an hour...and you're complaining that I'm making you dizzy?"

At that moment the doctor walked in and motioned for the two men to follow him into the hallway. "Colonel Smith and Lieutenant Peck are both stable." Seeing the surprise on both faces he smiled. "My brother was in Nam and told me all about you guys. He always thought you got a raw deal. Your secret is safe."

"How'd you figure it out?" B.A. questioned.

"Billy Bosco...didn't seem quite right."

Murdock shot B.A. a look. "Don't say it"

"I am so gonna say it...I told you so, fool."

The doctor cut back in. "There is good news and bad news. What would you like first?"

"Good," Murdock said at the same time that B.A. answered, "bad."

Shaking his head, the physician continued. "The good news is that Colonel Smith is suffering from dehydration and exhaustion and once we get some fluids in him and he gets some rest he should be just fine. An EKG showed some irregular heart rhythms which is most likely a result of the dehydration and an electrolyte imbalance, but we would like to monitor him overnight just to be safe."

"And the bad?" Murdock asked anxiously knowing that it must have to do with Face.

"Lieutenant Peck will need surgery to mend his arm at this point. His little trek only exasperated the injury. However, due to the high degree of his fever, we need for it to break before moving forward."

"Can we see them? Are they awake?" the teammates asked simultaneously causing the doctor to smile.

"Yes and yes. They both regained consciousness a short while ago, but the lieutenant was in a fair amount of discomfort and somewhat delirious. You may want to see him first as we've given him something for relief which may make him drowsy." The physician started walking. "Follow me and I'll take you to their rooms."

* * *

Face's eyes were closed, but his brow was creased in pain.

"Face, can you hear me, buddy?" Murdock asked leaning over the bed.

The blonde blinked his glassy blue eyes open.

B.A. moved to the other side of the bed. "How you feelin', Faceman?"

"Feel 'kay," he rasped. Suddenly looking panicked he asked, "Han'bal?"

B.A. misunderstood the expression as one of fear that the colonel was going to hurt him again. "He ain't with us. Just calm down, man."

Face's fevered mind tried to process B.A.'s words. Visions of Hannibal on the ground grabbing his chest floated through his mind. Tears began to stream down his cheeks. 'Oh, God…heart attack…Hannibal's dead.'

"What's the matter…you in pain, man?"

'More than words can say,' he thought as the drugs took hold of him sent him under once more.

TBC…


	14. Chapter 14

Hannibal's room was a couple of doors down and once Face had fallen asleep they made their way over.

Just as Face had been, the colonel's eyes were closed. But unlike Face, he seemed to be resting peacefully. At the sound of footsteps he opened his eyes.

"Hey," he greeted them tiredly.

"Good to see you awake, colonel," Murdock grinned.

Hannibal returned the smile but quickly sobered. "How's Face doing?"

"He gonna be okay, man. Needs an operation to fix his arm…but he gonna be okay."

"I want to see him." Hannibal started to sit up.

Murdock held him back down gently. "They have him drugged up pretty good right now."

"Plus you hooked up to all sorts of machines," B.A. added. "You get up and you might blow somethin' up."

"They're monitoring my heart," Hannibal explained. "After I found Face I thought I was having a heart attack."

"What happened?" Murdock asked gently seeing Hannibal's emotions rising to the surface.

"When I saw him lying there, it all came back. You both know what I did to Face, but I said some truly horrible things that probably hurt him more than anything physical."

Hannibal filled them in on the details before concluding with, "but I still can't figure out how I could say those things. Drugs usually work like truth serum…and you know I don't believe any of that crap I said."

"Of course you don't," Murdock reassured the older man.

B.A. let out a soft grunt and then rubbed at his chin.

"Care to elaborate on that, sergeant?"

"Some of them things sounded a lot like what they would spit out at the Faceman durin' interrogation sessions."

Murdock brow furrowed. "I don't remember that."

"That's 'cause you wasn't there. I'm not talkin' about Nam…I'm talkin' about when they was tryin' to break us at Bragg."

"Sounds like the name of a movie…Break Us At Bragg," Murdock quipped.

"It would fall under the category of a horror film," Hannibal replied dryly. "But I think you're onto something, B.A. They had extensive files on all of us and would say anything they could to try to make us talk or turn against each other."

"And you wanna know something else, colonel? That basement we found you in looked a whole lot like one of them interrogation rooms."

"It must have triggered something in your mind," Murdock said. "And combined with the drugs made you…"

"Made me do something that changed my relationship with Face forever," Hannibal finished sadly.

Neither Murdock nor B.A. could argue it wasn't true so they said nothing but each patted Hannibal sympathetically on the shoulder.

"I owe you two a big apology."

B.A. shook his head. "No you don't, colonel."

"Yeah, we understand." Murdock slapped B.A. on the back eliciting a snarl which he ignored. "Besides, me and Batman here had it all under control."

Hannibal raised his eyebrows at B.A. "Batman?"

"Don't ask," B.A. sighed before standing. "It's getting late. We better let you rest. We're gonna pick up the van and the 'Vette and stay at the beach house tonight."

Murdock followed suit and got up. "The doc said Face should sleep until the morning. We'll be back bright and early to check on you guys."

It wasn't long after his company left that Hannibal drifted off.

* * *

_Face was so hot._

_He was back in the chair with Hannibal squeezing his throat._

_He couldn't breathe and his vision started to blur._

_The hold was released on his throat and his body went limp._

_He felt a knife at his neck and heard somebody snarl, "Are you scared, Lieutenant?"_

_When his vision cleared and he found himself transported to a dark and musty room with a figure standing above him…but it wasn't Hannibal._

* * *

Hannibal woke with a start as he heard a loud commotion coming from out in the hall.

TBC…


	15. Chapter 15

Face woke from his dream reeling from what had just played out in his mind. The dream had not only brought back what happened at the beach house, but it had dragged back much older memories as well. But worst of all was the knowledge of what he had done.

'I killed Hannibal. He was acting out Bragg. He had a heart attack because I blamed him.'

Grabbing hold of the bedrail with his good arm he leaned over the side and was violently sick…repeatedly.

When the nausea finally abated he fell back against the pillows exhausted. But he couldn't stop the mental images from assaulting him.

The beatings…the threats…the isolation…the fear. It was like he was living it all over again, but this time he didn't have Hannibal to pull him through.

'I'll never have Hannibal again.'

The walls were closing in on him and Face felt like he was suffocating. It was getting harder to breathe and he needed to get out of that room or he was going to explode.

* * *

_"Sir, you need to get back into bed."_

_"No…need to go…my fault…my fault."_

_"Sir…please…you're going to hurt yourself."_

_"My fault…let me go."_

Hannibal easily recognized one of the voices: Face.

He began to pull at all the tubes and wires that were attached to various parts of his body ignoring the instantaneous beeps and alarms he set off.

Bolting out into the hall he witnessed two nurses trying in vain to restrain his lieutenant. He was covered in sweat, his eyes wild with fever.

Finally breaking free from the four arms holding him, Face stumbled forward blindly and straight into the arms of Hannibal.

"I gotcha, kid. I gotcha."

Face collapsed against his commanding officer who lowered him slowly to the ground.

Hannibal sat with Face's head resting on his thigh. The younger man's eyes were closed and he was shaking so hard that he was practically vibrating. His head was tossing from side to side and he was mumbling incoherently.

"Shh…it's okay…everything's okay."

Face stilled at Hannibal's voice and his eyes fluttered open. Thinking he was imagining his deceased colonel he whispered, "forgive me," before his eyes rolled back in his head.

"Face…kid?" Hannibal asked feeling his gut clench in fear.

Medical personnel swarmed in and the next few minutes were a blur of activity that ended with Face being whisked away on a gurney and Hannibal being forced back into bed.

TBC…sorry for the short chapters...but it's all my schedule allows.


	16. Chapter 16

The rest of the night, or more accurately very early morning, passed at a snail's pace as Hannibal waited for word on Face's condition. That word didn't come until hours later and along with Murdock and B.A. who were accompanied into his room by Face's doctor.

"I've got good news, gentleman," the doctor smiled. "Lieutenant Peck's fever broke shortly after he collapsed in the hallway."

"Collapsed?" B.A. and Murdock exclaimed together.

"Do you two always speak at the same time?" the physician questioned.

"Great minds think alike," Murdock joked.

"Ain't nothin' great about your mind, fool."

"Children," Hannibal reprimanded like a father would. "Can we let the doctor continue? I'll fill you in on the rest later."

"Yeah…sorry."

Again, the response came together causing Murdock to beam and B.A. to groan.

"As I was saying, his fever broke. He's being prepped for surgery as we speak."

"Can we see him?" Murdock asked.

"We already have him under sedation. The quicker we mend the bone the better chance for a full recovery. It's been too long as it is."

"We understand," Hannibal said. "You'll keep us posted?"

"Of course. It should take at least a couple of hours, but he should be just fine."

* * *

The 'couple of hours' turned out to be five.

Five long hours where they could do nothing but wait for news on their friend and try their best not to get on each other's nerves.

"You crack your gum one more time, crazy man, and I'm gonna crack your skull," B.A. threatened.

"Must you be so violent?"

"Must you be such a fool?"

"Stick and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me."

Hannibal, who had been changing out of his hospital gown and into his own clothes, stopped abruptly, stared at the pilot and said softly, "they hurt Face."

"Colonel?" B.A. questioned.

Hannibal shook himself slightly as if trying to shake Face's words and heartbreaking tone in which they were delivered from his mind. "Sorry….it's nothing. Look, I have some paperwork to fill out before I'm released. You two try and play nice."

"Yes, sir."

Hannibal rolled his eyes at the once more simultaneous response. "This is just getting to be plain weird," he mumbled as he walked out the door.

Less than five minutes later the doctor entered the room. "It was a more complicated repair than anticipated, but the lieutenant is in recovery."

"Can we see him?" Murdock asked for the second time that day.

This time the doctor nodded. "Of course. He's just coming out from the anesthesia so he may be a bit confused."

"Sounds like you on a normal day, man," B.A. quipped to his teammate.

"This coming from a man who can't decide whether or not he wants to shave his head," Murdock retorted while pointing to the mohawk.

"I'll round up Colonel Smith. Why don't you two go ahead…it's on the second floor at the end of the hall."

Not wanting to risk another answer in stereo Murdock and B.A. just nodded and smiled their thanks to the physician before starting on their way.

* * *

Face was awake when they walked around the curtain. His arm was heavily bandaged and he was so pale that he almost blended in with the white sheets. "Hey," he smiled weakly.

"Hey yourself, muchacho."

"Hey, Faceman. You lookin' good."

"And you're lying," Face slurred back at the sergeant.

Murdock and B.A. couldn't have predicted the next words that came out of their injured friend's mouth and the tears that accompanied them.

"So…sorry…my fault…all my fault."

"Hey…hey buddy. None of this is your fault."

"Yeah, man," B.A. agreed. "It's just the drugs messin' with your head."

"Like…like…they did with Hannibal."

"Exactly." This time Murdock and B.A. were too worried about Face's breakdown to care that they spoke together.

"But…don't you see," Face was starting to fade, but he had to let the guys know what he had done. "I knew…it was drugs…but still blamed him. But now I remember…Bragg…not his fault."

"Face," Murdock cut in. "It's okay…it's all okay."

"How…how can you say…say that? I drove him away and…and now…now he's gone." Face's cheeks were wet with tears and his words were coming out in gasps. "Hannibal…Hannibal's dead…dead…and it's all my fault."

Murdock and B.A. shared a horrified look, but before they could even attempt to comfort their teammate and tell him the truth he had passed out.

"How's he doing?" Hannibal asked walking up behind his men seconds later.

B.A. turned and said, "Apparently a heck of a lot better than he thinks you are, man."

Seeing the puzzled look on the colonel's face, Murdock explained. "Face thinks you're dead."

TBC…only one chapter to go!


	17. Chapter 17

"He what?" Hannibal asked sure that he hadn't heard right.

Murdock adjusted the blue baseball cap on his head. "The doc said he could be confused from the anesthesia, but he seemed to really believe it."

"Oh…God." Hannibal instinctively reached for a cigar, but stopped as he realized where he was standing.

"He must of really been outta his head, man. Even more than the fool."

Hannibal nodded. "Fevers can do that to a person."

"What's the plan, colonel?"

Hannibal smiled. "I guess I'm going to have to make a miraculous recovery."

* * *

Hannibal sat by Face's side, his foot nervously tapping on the floor while he tried to figure out what to say when the younger man next woke. Somehow 'surprise' just didn't seem appropriate, though that was surely what it would be.

Murdock and B.A. graciously stepped out of the room allowing Hannibal time alone with his second in command. But now that he was alone, he almost wished they had stayed.

The colonel took hold of his lieutenant's hand that was attached to his good arm.

"Face…I'm here, kid." Hannibal took a deep, calming breath. "You're going to be just fine. The doc fixed up your arm good as new. You'll be back to picking pockets of the bad guys in no time."

He kept talking; letting the words in his heart flow out of his mouth.

"You need to know how important you are to me and that I would never, ever intentionally hurt you. And those awful things I said…that wasn't me, kid. I could never feel those things about you. I know I don't always show it…and I never say it…but I love you, son."

Hannibal stopped as he felt a small squeeze from Face's hand. "Face?"

"Han…bal?"

"I'm here…open your eyes, kid."

Face did as told, his eyes blinking as they adjusted to the light and the man next to him. "But…but…you died."

"Then that would make me an angel," Hannibal smiled. "And we both know I'm no angel."

"Are…are you really here?"

Hannibal squeezed Face's hand reassuringly. "In the flesh."

Face still wasn't ready to believe it. "I…I saw you…have a heart attack."

"No…you saw me have an anxiety attack when I found you and everything came flooding back to me. After that you were delirious with a fever."

Face's eyes began to fill and his lip quivered. "I thought…I thought I killed you."

"Oh…no, kid. But when I remembered what I said to you, I almost wanted to die." It was a dramatic statement coming from the colonel, but at the time it was how he felt.

"I…I had a dream…about Fort Bragg."

Hannibal sighed with relief. "Then you know that's where I got the words from."

Face nodded. "I know…and I'm so sorry I doubted you."

"Don't be…you had every reason to." Hannibal leaned forward. "So are we okay, kid?"

Face didn't answer right away, and when he did it was in the form of another question. "Did you mean it?"

Hannibal furrowed his brow; didn't they just go through that? Maybe Face was still groggy from the medications.

Seeing the colonel's puzzlement, Face continued. "I heard you say…say that you loved me." He blushed at having said the words out loud. "Did you mean it?"

"Completely…every word of it."

Face smiled tiredly. "Then we're okay."

* * *

Murdock and B.A. stood outside Face's door listening to their teammates work things out.

"Aw, I just love happy endings…don't ya, big guy?" When B.A. didn't answer, Murdock looked over to see the muscle bound man swiping at his eyes. "B.A.?"

"Yeah?" B.A. coughed to clear his throat.

"You okay?"

"Just got somethin' in my eye, man."

"They're called tears," Murdock teased.

"And this is called a fist," B.A. threatened holding up the bejeweled hand in front of the pilot's face. "And if you mention that I was cryin' to anybody, I'm gonna knock you into next Thursday with it."

"Oh good…that's movie night at the V.A."

B.A. threw up his hands. "Why do I put up with you fool?"

Batting his eyelashes, Murdock answered, "Because you love me?"

B.A. snorted, but didn't deny it and to Murdock that was victory enough.

* * *

Hannibal felt as if a giant weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Seeing Face yawn and fighting to keep his eyes open he said gently. "Why don't you get some sleep, kid?"

"Okay," Face answered mid yawn and allowed his eyes to remain shut. "Stay?"

"I'm not going anywhere." Hannibal still had a hold on his lieutenant's hand and minutes later he once more felt a squeeze.

"I love you, too," Face mumbled before his head lolled to the side and he was sound asleep.

Hannibal had been able to keep the tears at bay until this point, but now his eyes welled up. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and whispered, "I love it when a plan comes together."

The End


End file.
